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Local salsa coming to a store near you

There's some tasty business going on in Colorado Springs. A small Mexican restaurant is bottling its famous salsa, bringing a little hometown flavor to a grocery store near you.

Opened in 2001, the Cafe El Paso has struck a nerve in Colorado Springs. El Paso, Texas native Sandra Santoscoy - Sherer and her husband Paul opened the restaurant to bring a little Texas home cooking to Southern Colorado. "I wanted to bring some of the flavors from my family and from my heritage." she says.

Right along with the plates of beans, rice and tortillas at Café El Paso comes a salsa with a storied past. "The salsa actually originates from my family, the Santoscoy family." explains Santoscoy - Sherer, "It's been around for hundreds of years." Paul says when he and Sandra opened Café El Paso they knew the family salsa had to be part of it. "The salsa that her family had was absolutely amazing." he says, "When we opened the restaurant we made the decision to recreate that salsa in the restaurant."

Almost instantaneously the salsa, known as Dos Pistolas caught on with locals. The Sherer's began bottling small batches. But demand was high. "They (the customers) started asking me for it more and more." explains Santoscoy - Sherer, "I was producing it here at the restaurant, but then it became too much for me." Dos Pistolas salsa has now blossomed into Santoscoy Food Group and can now be found in large chains such as Albertson's and Whole Foods.

With the growth of the salsa also comes a growth in business. Santoscoy Food Group and Dos Pistolas are based in Colorado Springs and getting bigger. "The American dream is still alive and well. The Santoscoy Food Group is proof of that." explains Travis Taylor with the Santoscoy Food Group, "We're also looking at creating jobs and opportunities over the next 4-6 weeks. We're going to be hiring everyone from sales staff to demo staff to administration staff."

It's a booming business, nestled in old fashioned, down home beliefs. "It's the love of family, food and God of course." says Santoscoy - Sherer.